Candles in the Window...

No Isaiah today, my subject for Advent. I’ve been away to Rotterdam for a few days, because my daughter had to sing with her choir and the Rotterdams' Philharmonic Orchestra in a series of concerts of Christmas Film Music, with Richard Kaufman as director.

It was great. Lovely and interesting music, also for kids. You could here bells of Santa, hoofs of horses, and the sound of an airplane. At one time the kids had to wave at the public, and at the end of the concert they all had to put on Christmas’ hats. Not that the whole happening was at the level of kids. They had to sit still for a very, very long time, really still, no leaning or slouching and certainly no talking. Despite this, my daughter (she is ten) liked it.

I could not go to all of the concerts. Luckily I could stay in the foyer for artists when I could not go. That was interesting, seeing all the people involved in organising concerts, from coffee waitress to people for the lights, to musicians. They had some computers there, and I tried to make an entry in my blog, but Live Journal was blocked.

The logistics of it all were awesome, because we live far away from Rotterdam and the whole event was new to us all. Happily most of it worked out. My daughter was always in time at the concert hall. That was the most important thing. Some of it did not work out though. We did not meet my husband at the station, because his train was delayed. We have missed out on my mother in law in time, who was at the concert hall already, and we were very nearby but somewhere else. We've all learned that we really need mobile phones (mine is lost). My mother was too late for cards regretfully; it was sold out quickly.

But we all had a great time. The first night we stayed at my brother and his partner and went to a museum during the day, which was very impressive. Suddenly I’d found myself standing there before “Titus” from Rembrandt, a painting that I’d showed in class just two days before. My brother had to sing four concerts that weekend and we had hoped to go and hear him as well, but the logistics were too complicated for that. All in all it was lovely for my daughter and me to share something of the lives of my brother and his partner.

The second night we have stayed at my mothers’ in a village not far from Rotterdam. That was very nice as well. My husband worked on his sermon there, and the rest of us went out shopping. In the afternoon we have eaten Santa Claus ice cream, which suited the event very well. My husband went home in the afternoon and my daughter and me went too Rotterdam again

My daughter and me came back last night by train at 01.40 hours in the night, with the last train that stops here. Very late.